Diving Into You | Fred Weasley

5 | Something about a Lion

Naia sat on the couch in the Gryffindor common room at 7 am, more frustrated than she thought she'd be on her first day of class.

She was never usually an early riser, but since the trainings over the summer her mum had forced her to attend at an ungodly hour in the morning, her body clock hasn't been normal since.

She heard footsteps come down the stairs from behind her and the familiar voices of the twins, Fred and George. She paid them no mind as her attention remained fully concentrated on the scarlet tie she was struggling to fix on her chest.

Ilvermorny never used any ties, and she's been pathetically fumbling around with this one for the past five minutes.

George and Fred were just about to walk towards the portrait hole for breakfast when they spotted the new transfer on the couch mumbling curses at herself. They looked at each other knowingly.

"What's that you got there, Vance?" George said.

"Fancy a little help with that?" Said Fred. They both leaned in from behind Naia, observing her pathetic excuse of a knot.

Naia felt them coming and sighed in frustration. "Would you guys teach me how to tie this thing properly?" She said, turning her head to look at them both.

"Why of course!"

"Wouldn't be very hospitable if we let you go to class looking all scrappy."

Fred winked at George and walked to sit beside Naia. She noticed his fiery red hair was unruly- probably because he just got out of bed himself. His own scarlet tie was well, perfect.

This was the first time she got to look at his face straight on, and at such a close distance. She found herself looking at the freckles that dotted his skin, and his mischievous brown eyes that stared back at her. Fred dragged his eyes to her tie in amusement.

"Alright now, pay attention. The art of tying a tie is an essential skill. When mastered, it may just save your life." Fred said in a jokingly serious tone.

Naia nodded, pursing her lips to suppress her smile. The corner of Fred's mouth twitched up at the sight.

"Alright..." Fred undid his own tie and instructed Naia to follow. She couldn't resist staring a little longer at his hands and fingers. They were pretty massive, and looked strong with the veins across the back of his palm. She watched it clench as he did a proper knot, and tried so hard to follow without giving her flustered state away.

What the hell was wrong with her? She wondered. It was just a stupid tie.

"No, wait, here-" She accidentally crossed the wrong side over, and he gently brushed his fingers against hers to correct her mistake. A summersault, some backflips- that's what she was sure she felt in her stomach at that moment.

George watched in amusement from beside the pair as his twin jokingly instructed Naia. He knew every little thing about Fred, and watched has he concentrated on teaching the girl while trying to charm the pants off her and remain calm all at the same time.

George knew that Fred was never one to get nervous. So as he eyed his twin's shaky hands when he went to correct a mistake she had made, he smirked to himself. Boy was his brother in for it now.

"Done! You did it!" Fred said. Naia smiled proudly. Suddenly, Fred undid her tie quickly, ruining all her hard work.

"Hey what are you-"

"That's one way to tie it, but the way I like to do it is this." With a wave of Fred's wand, her tie did itself. Naia's mouth dropped open.

"Why didn't you just teach me that in the first place?!"